Rattlesnake Love | National Geographic

early spring in Mexico’s Sonoran Desert
when nature gives diamondback
rattlesnakes their wake-up call
they’ve spent the entire winter
underground in a cozy layer away from
cold and predators
now it’s time to head outdoors and feel
the warmth of the Sun
the females are free to bask to their
heart’s content
besides warming their bodies the Sun
helps their eggs develop as they get
ready to breed speaking of breeding the
mature males now have to fight it out to
see who gets prime access to the females
the male Rattlers perform a weird ritual
of one-upsmanship they stretch
themselves to see which one is the
biggest tallest and strongest this is a
fairly civilized ceremony considering
time and back venom inflicts everything
from extensive tissue damage swelling
and bleeding to death the rival doesn’t
measure up so he has to leave the
serpent king to his females the females
are rested and ready they’re resting
together the male checks him out to see
if they’re ready to breathe
this head rubbing courtship display
looks like he not only wants to be mr.
right but mr. right now
male and female can stay locked in
Congress for an entire day or more over
all that time neither gets rattled and
after all this productive pleasuring
it’s time for a meal oh yeah
why they haven’t eaten for five months
yeah no wonder they’re hungry a squirrel
is spotted and the snakes hemotoxic
venom instantly poisons the squirrels
blood the Diamondback is careful to
align itself so it can swallow the head
first bat wait the limbs fold neatly and
the fur rugs the snake’s innards the
right way
the Diamondback unhinges its jaws this
way it can swallow animals that are many
times bigger than its own skull
one final yawn and the rattler resets
its jaw